Not a Shocker – Texas’ Tort Reform Laws Hurt Consumers

A recent report conducted by the nonprofit consumer advocacy group, Public Citizen, has found what many of already knew – damage caps only serve to hurt the consumer and protect insurance and big business.

The report, “A Failed Experiment”, discovered that the 2003 Texas law that placed limits on settlement amounts in malpractice cases has done the opposite of what it is said to do.

Since 2003, Medicare spending and consumer healthcare costs have risen in Texas at a higher rate than the rest of the country.  In addition, the number of doctors in Texas hasn’t grown near the rate that was promised. Both of these results are what the law was supposedly enacted to avoid.

As somebody who witnesses the devastating effect this so-called tort reform law has daily, it is always good to see people and organizations that are willing to take the time to uncover the true facts surrounding the tort reform debate.  This is especially important during a time when conservative politicians, such as Rick Perry, are lining up to spread misinformation about these big business endorsed laws, despite the actual facts surrounding them.

Public Citizen’s report comes on the heels of the eye-opening documentary, Hot Coffee.  Hot Coffee does an amazing job of not only showing how tort reform has hurt citizens across the US, but also lays out the manipulative and deceitful tactics that were used to pass tort reform in the first place.  I really can’t recommend it enough.

If you or a loved one has been hurt by tort reform laws, leave comment and tell us about it.  Think tort reform laws are helpful? I would love to hear your reasons.

Category: Legal Briefs